KUALA LUMPUR, 17 March 2009 – HwangDBS Investment Management Berhad ("HwangDBS IM") today launched its first fund for 2009 amid the generally gloomy global economic climate, dubbed the HwangDBS US Access 80 Fund ("US Access 80") or ("The Fund"). Despite the overall doom and gloom, the Fund signifies that there are reasons to be hopeful as the first quarter of 2009 unfolds.

Speaking at the launch, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of HwangDBS IM, Teng Chee Wai addressed investor concerns and reservations on the timeliness of the Fund launch and the investments into the US-based Standard and Poor’s 500 Index ("S&P 500 Index") at a time when negative news flows point toward the continued deepening of the global credit crisis.

"The current market downturn should be seen as part and parcel of market cycles and essentially, investing is certainly a long-term approach and should not be taken as a means to make a quick buck. The US Access 80 fund was mooted on the premise of capitalising on the bearish global sentiment to gain substantial headway into the S&P 500 Index at highly attractive valuations," Teng said.

"Many stocks are now trading at post-Asian financial crisis lows and for investors who can ride the volatility, now is the time to gradually accumulate the right stocks for long-term performance. Understandably no one can predict the absolute bottom but we are taking the position that we expect the market to gain momentum in the second half of 2009. Bad news will get less bad as governments around the world are taking bold measures in aggressive fiscal and monetary policies to stimulate the economy into recovery," he added.

Deemed a bellwether of the US economy, the S&P 500 Index comprises American stocks with the largest market capitalisations that would, in boom time, cost investors an arm and a leg to own due to the premium it commands. To date, the S&P 500 Index has fallen by an immense 49 per cent from its peak of 1,565 points on 9 October 2007 to 805 points as at 20 January 2009¹.

Teng continued, "Investors today are looking for investments that guard them from the ravages of the financial crisis and by nature, we recognise the importance of avoiding investments in highly leveraged companies and complex derivatives. The current economic situation has led to investor insecurity and most have fled to the sanctity of cash and are adopting the wait and see approach to investing."

"By presenting this Fund, we hope to appease some of the fears and at the same time, present new investment opportunities through the US Access 80 fund. Therefore, we urge investors to make the correct investment choice which suits one’s personal investment objective, time horizon and risk profile," he said.

In essence, US Access 80 is a mixed-asset, open-ended fund which provides investors with a balance of growth and preservation investment exposure to allow the Fund to capitalise on the opportunities that may arise in the current volatile climate. The 20 per cent growth aspect of the Fund employs a dynamic and tactical allocation strategy to achieve derivative type active asset exposure on the S&P 500 Index to ultimately deliver better than average results. This strategy allows progressive lock-in gains while raising the preservation limit.

In a nut shell, as more indicators turn positive, active asset exposure will be increased while conversely, if more indicators turn negative, Active Asset exposure will decrease at the same time not allowing preservation limit to fall below the 80 per cent preservation limit.

In closing, Teng said, "Together we hope to grow and add value to the investment industry in Malaysia and to continue to bring innovation and class of products that will maximise returns to our investors."

^{1 Source: Bloomberg as at 21 January 2009}